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Due to a late season surge in clade 3C.3a of the seasonal H3N2 virus in the United States (see chart below), last February the World Health Organization decided to postpone selection of the H3N2 component of this fall's Northern Hemisphere flu vaccine for 30 days.
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| FluView H3N2 Clade Charts |
On March 22nd the World Health Organization made their decision (see WHO Selects Fall H3N2 Flu Shot Component: Clade 3C.3a), but warned that the belated decision could cause a delay in shipping vaccines in the fall.
In early June Taiwan Warned Of Delays In This Fall's Flu Vaccine; instead of a normal Oct 1st start date, publicly funded vaccinations were expected to commence in mid-November.In early July Sanofi Pasteur announced (see AAP news report) that deliveries of this fall's vaccine would likely be delayed in the U.S. as well, stating:
“Sanofi Pasteur fully expects to manufacture and deliver every dose reserved by our customers, beginning with partial shipments to all customers in late-August or September, with all shipments completed by the end of November."And 3 weeks ago, the UK's NHS announced they expected to see similar delays (see More Signs Of Delayed Delivery Of 2019-20 Flu Vaccine). The CDC's Frequently Asked Flu Questions: 2019-2020 Influenza Season (updated July 1st) continues to read:
Will the delay in selecting the H3N2 component delay availability of flu vaccines for the upcoming 2019-2020 northern hemisphere flu season?
It is too soon to say how the delay in the selection of the H3N2 candidate vaccine component may affect the timing of vaccine availability for the 2019-2020 flu season. Private manufacturers in the United States produce flu vaccines each season. Once the viruses are selected for the new vaccine formulation, manufacturers operate under a tight timeline for producing, testing, releasing and distributing flu vaccine. CDC and other federal partners will continue to coordinate and collaborate with U.S. flu vaccine manufacturers to monitor production and vaccine availability timelines
Today, Taiwan's CDC pushed back fall vaccine expectations once again, announcing staggered vaccination schedules for specified at-risk groups, with some groups not eligible for a government funded vaccine until January, 2020.
- The decision has been made to target those most likely to spread the flu (ie. students & medical personnel) first (Nov 15th)
- Followed by the elderly and pre-schoolers (Dec 8th).
- All others (including apparently: pregnant women, those with comorbidities, adults > 50, etc.) on or after January 1st.
In response to the delay in the supply of global quaternary influenza vaccines, this year's public flu vaccine will be postponed to vaccination in batches after November 15th.
Release date: 2019-08-06
In order to provide more comprehensive protection for the nationals, this (108) public flu vaccine complies with the global influenza vaccine supply and use trend, and fully adopts the four-valent influenza vaccine. Although the disease control department has completed about 6 million doses of quaternary in advance in May this year. The procurement of influenza vaccines, in addition to the delivery schedule of the vaccine factory, this year's influenza vaccination targets will be inoculated in batches.
The opening schedules are: from November 15th to the national to high school students and medical staff; December 8 It is an elder who is over 65 years old and a preschool child; it will be used for other public expenses from January 1, 109.
The Department of Diseases said that this year's publicly funded influenza vaccine winners reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) influenza vaccine selection meeting was delayed by one month to announce the selection of the northern hemisphere vaccine, resulting in delayed global vaccine production and delivery schedules. Countries are affected.
In response to the possible impact of delaying the supply of this vaccine, the CDC convened a joint meeting of the Influenza Prevention and Prevention Group and the Vaccination Group of the Infectious Diseases Prevention and Treatment Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in June this year.
Experts suggested that the vaccine supply could not meet all the targets at the same time. In order to block the spread of the virus in the community and reduce the risk of infection in high-risk groups, it will reduce the risk of serious complications.
This year's public flu vaccine should be given priority by the high-spread population.(Continue . . . )
The order of vaccination is for students and medical staff, senior citizens over 65 and school-age. For the former children and other public expenses, it is estimated based on the latest supply schedule and quantity provided by the current manufacturers. The schedule for the public flu vaccine will be postponed until November 15th, and the vaccinated targets will be opened in batches.
The CDC emphasizes that people who meet the public vaccination should remember to implement hand hygiene and cough etiquette when they are not vaccinated, maintain good personal hygiene habits, reduce the risk of infection, and complete the vaccination as soon as possible after the start of the fight to protect themselves and The health of the family.
How much impact these projected delays will have will ultimately depend upon the timing, and the severity, of this fall's flu season.
With 6 million vaccines on order, Taiwan can vaccinate about 25% of the nation's population. For a recent (2018) in-depth look at Taiwan's seasonal vaccination program, you may wish to peruse the Am J Public Health article:
Taiwan’s Annual Seasonal Influenza Mass Vaccination Program—Lessons for Pandemic Planning
Diane Meyer, MPH, Matthew P. Shearer, MPH, Yi-Chien Chih, MSc, Yu-Chen Hsu, MSc, Yung-Ching Lin, MD, MPH, and Jennifer B. Nuzzo, DrPH
For more on the complex technical and logistical challenges involved in delivering seasonal flu vaccines to the United States each year, you may wish to visit the CDC's:
Frequently Asked Questions on Vaccine SupplyEach country negotiates their own deal for the purchase and delivery of flu vaccines, and Taiwan's delivery dates may not reflect what other countries will experience.
For now, while some delays in vaccine delivery are possible, the CDC states that manufacturers expect to provide between 162 million and 169 million doses of vaccine for the U.S. market, and I've seen no talk of shortages or prioritization.Stay tuned.
